Aftermath
by Atomix330
Summary: A multi-chapter AU from Spooks Series 10 Episode 6 where Ruth doesn't die. Will deal with the situation on the Grid after the "Gavrik Affair". Rated T to be safe for later chapters. All characters belong to Kudos. Chapter 8 is up.
1. Aircraft

**Aftermath; Chapter 1 - Aircraft**

_A/N: Continuing from Spooks Series 10 Episode 6. AU where Ruth doesn't die after being stabbed by Sasha Gavrik. This is my first time writing a piece of Fan Fiction so just bear with, there maybe a few minor canon errors._

* * *

**Thames Estuary 1649hrs :**

The helicopter ascends into the sky above the Estuary Bunker, hovers for a moment and then makes for the distant city skyline. The group of concerned people on the ground watch it disappear out of their sight and then focus back on the task in hand.

On board the helicopter, two patients, the woman suffering a stab wound. The younger man a gunshot wound. The woman is English, she is Ruth Evershed, Security Advisor to the Home Secretary, she was accidentally stabbed by the man on the stretcher opposite her. A Russian, Sasha Gavrik, FSB agent, son of Ilya and the recently deceased Elena Gavrik. The former being the Russian Interior Minister and the latter a double agent for an extreme Russian nationalist terrorist group.

After a fifteen minute flight, the helicopter touches down on the roof of the hospital and the patients are rushed inside.

* * *

**Heathrow Airport 1649hrs :**

_"Aeroflot Flight 474 from Moscow Domodedovo will be delayed for approximately 25 minutes_ _due to an incident aboard the aircraft"_ says the announcement over the terminal's PA system, as the flight in question hits the runway's tarmac. The aircraft proceeds to an isolated stand. Shortly afterwards a column of vehicles heads to the stand and surrounds the aircraft while the cabin crew open the main door and a set of mobile stairs are maneuvered into position. Half a dozen anonymous men and women then climb the stairs and disappear into the aircraft.

Moments later two of them emerge along with young bald Russian man handcuffed in between them. The captive gets to the bottom of the staircase, glances momentarily at the sky and then is roughly manhandled into the back of a waiting black saloon car which speeds away, its destination; Thames House.

Twenty minutes later the other four men and women emerge. One of them carries a large suitcase. They hurry to the two remaining cars, identical to the first one, and drive away. The stairs are removed, the door closes and the aircraft proceeds to the gate as if nothing had happened.

* * *

The passengers are later told that the 'incident' was a suspected attempted terrorist attack and are reported to the press as such. The death of Elena Gavrik and the injuries of Sasha Gavrik and Ruth Evershed are blamed on a car crash.

The real truth is covered up. No-one needs to know what really happened. The result is a diplomatic incident avoided, no questions asked by the press and the general public remain oblivious to the shocking reality of what had just occurred. What the public don't know won't hurt them.

* * *

_A/N: Please tell me what you think. Constructive criticism and plot ideas are welcome. This is intended to be a multi-chapter story. I want to deal with what happens between Ruth and Harry, how they clean up the remainder of the "Gavrik Affair" and possible animosity between Erin and the rest of Section D. Review, follow and favourite._


	2. Chess

**Aftermath; Chapter 2 – Chess**

_A/N: So here is Chapter 2. I am amazed at the response for my first chapter (also my first foray into writing fan fiction), thanks goes to the Guest, NatesDate and rosetintedblindspot for reviewing and encouraging me to write more! As for this chapter there is some slight back tracking to explain what how the characters feel before they covered up the truth at the end of Chapter 1._

**Thames Estuary 1650hrs:**

As the sound of the helicopter died away to the west a sense of calm washed over group of concerned people who watched it go. The normally stony faced Harry Pearce was still staring at the sky long after the helicopter disappeared, his face plastered with worry for the woman he loved. He did love Ruth. She was his friend and one of his staunchest supporters and allies. However, he'd only really recently been taking his relationship further out of the office, this was probably helped by the fact that she no longer worked on the grid. Anything other than a professional relationship between them while she still worked for the service would have both been awkward and probably sent alarm bells ringing within the Home Office. In the wake of the 'Albany Affair' that would hardly be ideal.

There were many thoughts whirling through his mind, most of them revolving around what he should do next. He still stood fixed to the spot, staring at the horizon. The little voice in his brain brought him back to reality with a jolt _"Regnum Defende", _it said, _"Defence of the realm, you have a job to do first and foremost and THAT is your job Pearce. For one moment forget what has happened," _the voice continued_ "it has happened and you cannot change that, now do what needs to be done."_

Then a deep male Russian voice interrupted his train of thought, "Harry", it began before Harry turned to face Ilya Gavrik, Gavrik continued "Harry, I'm sorry for what has happened, I'm sorry for the actions of my son".

"Ilya there is nothing for you to be sorry about, Sasha had every right to be angry at me. What has passed has passed, we have a situation here, all we can do is minimize the fallout. To do that we have must help each other. We are now both in similar positions, can you consider helping us as we will help you, as the first act of our countries' new partnership?" Harry asked with a slight plea for understanding in his voice.

The Russian had listened attentively and thought about the situation around him, almost as if he was a chess player deciding his next move. Having carefully analysed the chessboard he put his pieces into play. "I think", he began, "it would be better for all of us if we were to help each other through this difficult time. Our respective governments would have to be told of course, and our intelligence services informed. However I must ask this of you Harry, the full truth of this matter must only be known at the highest levels and on no account should the United States be informed for they would certainly use the information to damage the partnership. It is of the utmost importance that this partnership holds despite the events of today. Of this I am sure both our governments will agree on."

Harry responded, "Ilya you are a good diplomat, better than I ever will be. I agree with your ideas and I am sure that my government will see that cloaking this incident in secrecy only benefits not only ourselves but our countries and most importantly our partnership."

Harry was then interrupted by a tall dark haired woman, his section chief, Erin Watts. She was holding her phone in her hand having obviously just finished a call. Both men turned to face her as she approached. "That was Special Branch, Pavel Zykov was brought into custody a few moments ago, the jammer he was carrying has also been secured. Special Branch have disclosed to the press that it was an attempted terrorist attack and that the suspect was carrying a bomb. That statement will hit the major news agencies within the next few moments. I'm sure we can create an elaborate back story for when the press ask questions later."

"Thank you Erin", Harry responded, "can you, and I'm sure the minister here", indicating Gavrik, "would not object, get Special Branch to send an ambulance to remove the body of the late Elena Gavrik for transit to the Russian Embassy". Gavrik nodded curtly. "After the ambulance leaves, can you Calum and Dimitri tidy up the rooms we were in, technically we were never here so lets leave that impression".

"Okay", she responded, "and Harry, when are you going to inform the Home Secretary of the full extent what happened?"

"I'll call him on my way to the hospital to see Ruth, on that subject get somebody to text me the details for where they've taken her and Sasha Gavrik, I'm sure the minister will want to see his", Harry emphasised the word, "son". Gavrik nodded again. "Erin, you and the rest of the team can get back to the Grid after you've tidied up here, I'll see you in a few hours". Erin turned on her heel and strode over too Calum and Dimitri to give them their instructions. Harry turned to Gavrik, "now I'm going to go to the hospital to see Ruth, you can come with me and see your son, you could stay here to look after the body of your late wife or I can drive you back to the embassy. Unless when I call Towers, he wants to meet with you."

"I think I will come with you to the hospital to see my son and I need to make amends with Miss Evershed, we can deal with Towers later together, I have no doubt he'll want to talk to both of us." Gavrik looked away across the mudflats as he spoke and then he paused. "As for my late wife, I see her now as three things; a fanatical monster, one of the greatest spies I have ever come across and," his voice cracked, a tear started to form in his left eye but he blinked it away, took a deep breath and continued. "And, the mother of my son."

Harry put a reassuring hand on Gavrik's shoulder. "My friend, I wouldn't worry about her any more, I don't think we will ever truly know who she was." The two men turned their backs on the estuary and headed back to the car.

_A/N: Quite a long chapter compared to Chapter 1. Whether this will become the norm I have yet to decide. By all means leave plot ideas in the reviews. Please read, review, follow and favourite. Constructive criticism welcome. Chapter 3 to come shortly. _


	3. Phone Call

**Aftermath; Chapter 3 – Phone Call**

_A/N: Another very long chapter for you all, I have previously said that this chapter would be set in the hospital but I feel that Gavrik and Harry have a sort of chemistry between them and I like writing scenes featuring the both of them. I also wanted to introduce Towers as can vividly imagine what he would say if he was told by Harry what had happened. A huge thank you goes to NavyLady, VelocityGirl1980, rosetintedblindspot, Sparky75 and Guest for reviewing (apologies if I missed anyone out)._

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**Thames Estuary 1713 hrs:**

As soon as Harry and Gavrik got to the black Audi, Harry's phone vibrated. It was a text from Calum Reed, Section D's Junior Case officer. The text itself was the address of the hospital that Ruth Evershed and Sasha Gavrik had been taken to – the Royal London in Whitechapel. As he read the text he settled himself in to the driver's seat of the Audi while Gavrik sat down next to him in the passenger seat. Harry typed the hospital postcode into the car's sat-nav, he then placed his phone into the hands-free cradle, set it to speaker phone and called the Home Secretary. As it dialled Harry put the Audi into gear and started to drive.

Gavrik looked on, his face steely and cold he was deep in thought. He thought about what had just happened during the last few hours. How his opinions of certain people had changed, some for the better some for worse. His wife, who had meant everything to him that morning was now a worthless corpse lying in a secret English bunker, she was nothing to him any more but a traitor. The one thing that Ilya Gavrik could not stand was disloyalty. As for his old adversary Harry Pearce, he was now more of an old friend. There was now a sense of mutual understanding between these great relics of the Cold War. They were (as they had been so many times) both in similar situations.

* * *

**Whitehall 1715 hrs:**

Home Secretary William Towers was walking back to his office in Whitehall from the Cabinet Office Briefing Rooms where they had successfully dealt with the unresponsive plane from Russia. A suspect was in the custody of the security service and a statement was quietly released to the press calling the incident a suspected, attempted terrorist attack. Towers hoped that the recent partnership agreement would both hold in the circumstances. He also hoped that the partnership would be the main focus of the broadcasters and news agencies and that the statement he had issued concerning the incident would slip under the radar unnoticed. In any case Towers put a 'D-notice' on the incident to deter prying eyes.

Towers arrived in his office and told his PA not to let anyone disturb him for the next hour unless there was an emergency. He made a beeline to his drinks cabinet and found a glass and a bottle of Lagavulin (a 16 year old Islay single malt). He was about to pour some into the glass when his mobile started to ring in his jacket pocket. He put the bottle back down and reached for his phone. The caller's ID, 'Harry Pearce'.

Upon seeing the screen, he seized the phone and pressed the answer button. "Harry, what the bloddy hell is going on? The last time we spoke it sounded like you kidnapped Gavrik's wife and son and at the same time preventing a terrorist attack. I know that you have successfully apprehended a suspect in that attack, please tell me you havent done anything stupid with the Gavrik's!"

"Home Secretary..." Harry began, but he was son interrupted when another voice came on the line.

It was Gavrik, "Home Secretary, Harry did nothing stupid with anyone in my family, his actions were in my eyes reasonable given the situation. Alas my son has a gunshot wound and my wife is dead but there are good reasons for that. It may also interest you to know that your colleague Miss Ruth Evershed has also suffered a stab wound which I regret to say was inflicted by my son, for that I wish to apologise."

Towers could hardly believe what he was hearing, the Russian Interior minister's wife was dead and his son injured and he didn't care. He was contemplating what his response to what he had heard but his thoughts were interrupted by the crisp voice of Harry Pearce coming over the line once more.

"Both Miss Evershed and Mr Gavrik have been airlifted to hospital. Minister Gavrik and I are en-route to see them" Harry said calmly. "The body of Elena Gavrik is being taken to the Russian Embassy as we speak. On a different note," he continued, "Minister Gavrik and I have both agreed that it would be better for both us, our countries' interests and the new partnership for the true extent of today's events to be kept from prying eyes, especially from those in Grosvenor Square." At this point Gavrik curtly nodded.

Towers was still in a state of shock, "Harry, how do you intend to do this" he inquired, "how to you intend to explain the death of the wife of a senior Russian politician and the subsequent injury of his son on British soil?"

There was a moment of silence in the car then Harry responded, "I think we would have to stage an accident of some kind." Gavrik nodded again curtly he then spoke.

"Home Secretary let me speak with the Kremlin and the FSB, I am sure that, when informed of the situation and the dilemma we find ourselves in, they will only be too happy to help. I expect they will also offer suggestions as to how we can minimise if not eliminate any potential damage this could cause, I will pass those ideas on to you in due course. With any luck we will have come up with by the time we get the hospital. I think we will contact you again then."

Towers was staring at the phone in his hand in disbelief. "When do I get to learn of the full scale of what has happened today?"

Harry replied, "Home Secretary, come down to the Grid at about 8pm tonight, myself and the minister should be done at the hospital by then. It will also give the minister enough time inform the relevant people at the Embassy and in Moscow of what has happened here as well as giving us time to formulate a plan for the 'accident' we intend to cause. Then we can give you our version of events as well as the version we intend to give to the press."

"Very well. Harry I do hope you and the minister know what you are getting in to. I wish you the best of luck in your endeavours. I look forward to your call minister, and I will come to Thames House later this evening", and without saying anything else, a very shaken Home Secretary terminated the call and hurried back to his drinks cabinet where he poured himself a very large glass of Lagavulin.

* * *

**Tower Hamlets, London 1805 hrs:**

Apart from Gavrik making certain phone calls in Russian the rest of the journey to the hospital was made in silence. It took longer than Harry expected to get to the hospital as they had to drive through the very worst of London's rush hour. By the time they were minutes away form their destination, Gavrik informed him that the Kremlin saw the situation in the same way that he did and were prepared to safeguard the partnership despite the days events. Harry was relieved that the Kremlin were not just about to walk away from such a hard fought agreement, he also was thankful that they saw his and Gavrik's plan as in the best interest of both their countries.

Gavrik also presented the idea that the FSB had for the 'accident' that would explain the death of Elena and the injury of Sasha Gavrik. "The FSB owns a safehouse on the A40 near RAF Northholt," he started to explain. "Now originally Elena and Sasha were to go shopping in Knightsbridge before going to Northholt this evening. Meanwhile I was going to say my goodbyes to your Home Secretary, then I would make my way back to Northholt and rejoin them for our diplomatic flight back to Moscow. We would arrive separately. Now, the FSB's plan is to have the diplomatic car 'carrying' Elena and Sasha, lose control and crash into that safehouse. For the purposes of this plan the car will also 'carry' Miss Evershed who has become friends with Elena during her stay, she is travelling with Elena unofficially to see her off. The minute the crash occurs the FSB and your Special Branch will swarm the site. The Embassy will then release a statement to informing the public and our American friends of the death of Elena and that Sasha and Miss Evershed are injured and in hospital."

Harry had been listening attentively. He had questions however, "What are the chances that a member of the British public could be accidentally injured in this incident? If a British citizen was hit on a London street by a diplomatic car, it would set alarm bells ringing at the highest levels of government despite the partnership." Harry didn't wait for an answer. "This is my suggestion let MI5 surround the car with our own vehicles on the road, we will also get the cycleway and pavement in front on the house closed, we can blame it on a fractured water main."

"I will have to discuss this with the FSB's London station but I am sure they will be agreeable. Then you can inform your Home Secretary."

"Once Towers gives us the green light we can put the plan into action with in the hour."

"Good, I'll call the FSB now." Gavrik concluded they reached the hospital's front entrance.

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_A/N: I hope you enjoyed this latest instalment. Chapter 4 will be set in the hospital. Please read, review, follow and favourite._


	4. Hospital

**Aftermath; Chapter 4 – Hospital**

_A/N: Well here is Chapter 4. I apologise for posting so late after the first 3 chapters. I was busy and kind of lost my muse. This has been the most difficult chapter to write only because I didn't know how to fit it in with the rest of my imagination! I probably haven't done it justice..._

_On another note, I'd like to thank Guest, Batteredpen, rosetintedblindspot, Sparky75 and VelocityGirl1980 for your reviews. But I should stop rambling on and let you read..._

**Royal London Hospital, Whitechapel 1837 hrs:**

Despite the Royal London having some of the best clinical results in the UK, it was also one of London's biggest and busiest hospitals and so when they arrived Harry and Gavrik had to wait in the modest queue in the hospital's reception. After what had seemed like an eternity (during which the FSB and MI5 had been given update plans and Whitehall had green-lighted them) they reached the nurse on the desk.

"Hello, how can I help?" she asked the two very official looking men with a warm smile.

"We are here to see two patients brought in by your air ambulance about ninety minutes ago, a Mr Sasha Gavrik and Miss Ruth Evershed. Could we speak to your duty supervisor please?" Harry replied calmly, although his face was etched with worry however hard he tried to hide it. Gavrik, who was stood next to him was equally calm but his expression was cold and impassive.

The nurse immediately realised from his tone that the men across the desk were not ordinary concerned people here to relatives. She thought she recognised the other man from somewhere but couldn't quite place him. She turned to a nurse behind her who was rummaging for something in a box. "Anne, can you man the desk for a few minutes while I take these gentlemen to the duty supervisor?"

"Sure." the other nurse replied in a drawling American accent.

A flash of concern ran across Gavrik's face, he turned to Harry and saw through his expression that he had been thinking the same thing. An American nurse on the reception desk of a British hospital where there were two potentially politically sensitive patients staying. Can it be a coincidence? Surely not.

Gavrik's train of thought was interrupted and those thoughts disregarded when the nurse turned back to them. "If you gentleman would please follow me." She then took them down the white-tiled corridor. When they came to the right door the nurse stopped and knocked.

Five minutes later (after both the nurse and the duty supervisor had signed the Official Secrets Act) Gavrik and Harry finally found the right ward. It wasn't an ordinary hospital ward but a set of private rooms ideal for dealing with 'sensitive' patients. All the staff on this ward had also signed the Official Secrets Act, they didn't question how the patients came to be in the hospital and the Service had used the place several times before with good results so Harry had confidence in their ability.

The two men found the doctor responsible for the two latest patients on the ward and made their introductions. Then Harry asked the question that had been burning in his mind for the most of two hours. "How are they?"

"Mr Gavrik will pull through, the bullet went straight through. It didn't hit anything and we've stitched up the wound. His arm will ache for quite sometime but there will no lasting damage", the doctor stated.

An expression of relief crossed the Russian's face. Harry observed this for a moment but then turned back to the doctor. "And Miss Evershed? How is she?"

_A/N: Yes, I'm leaving you on a cliffhanger. Updates from now on will be a bit slower (as in 2 chapters a week (I might not even be able to mange that we hall see)). In the next chapter Harry will finally get back to the Grid with Gavrik to meet Towers. I think the Home Secretary may require a whole bottle of Lagavulin after this encounter..._

_As always please read, review, follow and favourite._


	5. Echo

**Aftermath; Chapter 5 - Echo**

_A/N: Well here is Chapter 5. Thanks goes to rosetintedblindspot, Sparky75, Batteredpen and Navy Lady for reviewing Chapter 4. Enjoy. (I hope I've done this part justice as it will prove pretty important in my mind for the next few chapters.)_

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**A40 Westbound near RAF Northolt 1949hrs:**

"_This public footpath and cycleway is closed due to allow for emergency repairs on the water main, we apologise for any inconvenience caused", _reads a small, red, metal sign at the start of the roadworks. A long line of white and red barriers is already in place in front of the FSB safe house, keeping the public away.

Moments later a black Mercedes S Class with a Russian flag fluttering on the bonnet comes on to the dual carriage way with its Diplomatic Protection Group escort. As the convoy approaches the roadworks it slows ever so slightly. The Mercedes now alongside the barrier suddenly accelerates and swerves to avoid the police car in front. In doing so it smashes through the barrier crosses the small front garden and embeds itself in the front of the house.

By this time the DPG escort has come to a halt and officers start to swarm the scene. Others start directing traffic. An ambulance is called. In one of the DPG's cars, an officer radios back Thames House, "objective achieved proceeding to clear wreckage".

* * *

**The Grid, Thames House 1951hrs:**

Calum, Dimitri and Erin gathered in the meeting room and received confirmation of the success of the operation. There was no satisfied smiles or pats on the back. Calum and Dimitri merely walked back to their desks and got on with some paperwork. They were both thinking about Ruth and what it would do to Harry if the worst happened.

Erin stayed where she was. She was concerned about her colleagues but still was of the opinion that their minds should be more focused on their current tasks than on a woman in hospital. It was sentiment. Erin Watts couldn't really care for sentiment in the work place, certainly not at MI5. Of course she liked her colleagues and had a soft spot for Dimitri, but she didn't see it lasting long. Not with the current mortality rate. It was a shame but she couldn't be sentimental about it. She was young and destined for the top of the tree in Service. Everyone was competition in some way or another. Section Chief of Section D was merely a step on the ladder. She couldn't afford to be sentimental, she had a job and she would try to do it to the best of her ability. _"Focused on the job in hand is my work ethic_,_ you won't get anywhere otherwise" , _she thought. Right now she needed to bring Harry up to date.

* * *

**Tower Bridge, London 1951hrs:**

"_She had a punctured lung, we've drained and repaired it but unfortunately as we were finishing, Miss Evershed went into cardiac arrest. She's in a stable but serious condition. She's unconscious at the moment along with Mr Gavrik, but that should only be for the next few hours while the anaesthesia wears off. So there would be no point talking to either of them."_

"_Quite, thank you doctor. I'm going ask for you to keep both me and the minister up to date with their conditions throughout the night and for no visitors other than myself and the minister, to be admitted to this ward until further notice. I hope you understand the sensitivity of the situation. If anyone later asks why they are here, the official line is that they were in a car crash..."_

"_...punctured lung...cardiac arrest...stable but serious condition...unconscious..." _The surgeon's words were echoing around Harry's head. He had remained completely impassive during the conversation but he hadn't uttered a word since leaving the hospital. He was in deep thought.

However, although his face may not of shown it he was feeling anxious for Ruth to wake up, guilty that he had gotten her in the situation, suspicious about the nurse on the desk, worried about whether the truth would leak out and thinking about what should be done next.

The two men were sat in the car in silence, but the silence was interrupted by a text alert on Harry's phone. "Success – E", was the message.

"That was Miss Watts," he tells the Russian, "the 'accident' has occurred. A statement will be released to the press shortly."

"Good Harry, I am impressed with the speed in which you concluded this operation."

"It was what was required, it had to be done."

The car slowed to a stop as it approached the Thames. The warning lights were flashing on the bridge approach road and the bridge was raised. _"Do not cross the bridge while the lights flash", _Harry thought. A large boat was manoeuvring slowly between the towers of this London landmark.

"We're gong to be late", remarked Gavrik as he looked at his wristwatch.

Harry turned on the in car radio wondering whether news of the crash had broke. It had, _"...we are getting reports that the diplomatic car carrying the wife and son of Russian Interior Minister_, _Ilya Gavrik has crashed in West London. There has been no word on any casualties with the Russian Embassy and the Home Office due to release a statement shortly."_

"Now it begins", said Harry as he typed something into his iPhone. "Towers to arrive at 8pm, show him into my office. Stuck in traffic. - Pearce", he typed.

* * *

**The Grid, Thames House 2000 hrs:**

Erin greeted Towers as he stepped through the pods. He was alone. "Home Secretary", she greeted him.

"Miss Watts", he replied but he got straight to the point. "Well where the hell is he? He told me to meet him self and the Minister at eight, and its eight now! So I ask again where is he?".

Erin kept her cool and showed him into Harry's office. "Home Secretary if you would like to wait in here, Sir Harry and Minister Gavrik will be here shortly they're currently stuck in traffic." She left him with out another word. Towers sat down facing the desk, his mind going over many different scenarios for what could have happened to the Gavrik and Ruth.

After quite some time, he heard the pods open and out stepped Gavrik and Harry. They headed for the latter's office without a word to anyone. Harry went to his drinks cabinet as Gavrik took a chair next to Towers. Harry took three tumblers out of the cabinet along with a bottle of Ardberg. In silence he filled the crystal with amber. He took one of the tumblers and downed it, he then refilled it. He gave the other two tumblers to Gavrik and Towers.

"So Harry", the Home Secretary began, "What the hell happened?"

* * *

_A/N:_ _Another partial cliffhanger for you all. We know what happens but what will Towers think? I haven't resolved the American nurse but that will come in the next few chapters. A conflict of interest is also planned between Erin and Calum and Dimitri. Pleas read and review, follow and favourite._


	6. Experience

**Aftermath; Chapter 6 - Experience**

_A/N: Sorry for the delay, I was going to make this chapter longer but I think it ended it well. Enjoy. Thanks goes to rosetintedblindspot, Batteredpen, Antonia Caenis and Sparky75_

**The Grid, Thames House 2115hrs:**

It had taken Harry and Gavrik a little over an hour to explain the facts to the Home Secretary. The three men now sat in silence as Towers paced the room mulling over the conversation he had just had.

Harry brought him out of his train of thought. "Home Secretary, if you require my resignation you can have it on your desk within the hour."

"Harry-" he began. But was interrupted by Gavrik.

"Home Secretary, a word if you please," he paused, "in private".

Towers nodded, "Harry," he said, "if you would like to step outside."

"Of course Home Secretary, in any case I'd better brief my team."

Harry walked out onto the Grid and slid his office door closed behind him and went to rejoin his team. It was _his_ office and _his_ team, but for how much longer?

Behind him, Towers and Gavrik and turned to watch him acknowledge the rest of his team. It was Gavrik who broke the icy silence that had enveloped the room since Harry's departure.

"Home Secretary, if anything, I implore you not to remove Harry Pearce from MI5. He has done a great service to both our countries, he is without doubt a pillar in the worldwide intelligence community. Possibly the most experienced officer in your security service. To remove such an asset would be a mistake of gargantuan proportions. Admittedly he may not have a perfect record but you would be hard done to find a more experienced officer. Think about it, leaves Oxford goes to Sandhurst completes his training and then joins the Blues and Royals in Northern Ireland in 1974. Leaves the army in 1976 joins MI5, goes back to Northern Ireland in 1977, after one of his good friends is killed by a car bomb in 1978 he is seconded to MI6. Stationed in Paris and posted to Iran during the revolution in 1979. Posted to Cologne in 1980 where he fights the left wing terrorists of the Red Army Faction. In 1982 he is sent to Argentina during the Falklands crisis. Between 1983 to 1989 he is posted to East Berlin to work along side the late James Coaver. During this time he becomes the head of MI6's station in East Berlin and my opposite number. He and the rest of the British station are quietly extracted in 1989 before the fall of the Wall. Harry comes home to Britain and returns to MI5. After a six month sabbatical he returns to Northern Ireland and becomes one of your best interrogators of paramilitary prisoners. In 1995 he returns to London and joins the counter terrorism department of MI5. In his first month he successfully foils an attempt on the lives of Margaret Thatcher and John Major and is quietly given a CBE in recognition of the fact. In 1997 he goes to Hong Kong to over see the transition of power to China. In 1998 he becomes section chief of Section D. By the millennium he is head of this department."

Gavrik paused. "For the past ten years, Harry and his team have been successfully defending your country against enemies both foreign and domestic. Be it pro-life extremists, Kurdish rebels, rogue intelligence officers, the IRA, religious extremists, the Mafia, South American drugs cartels, cyber criminals, eco-terrorists, far right extremists, renegade army units, rogue politicians, Yalta, Nightingale or financial crime. Harry Pearce has been the person who has successfully headed the team that has kept British citizens safe. Harry Pearce is the one I want to work with my country's intelligence service.

Look at it this way, if he leaves this department who is there to replace him?" Gavrik asked.

"His section chief Erin Watts." Towers immediately replied.

"She joined MI5 3 years ago after leaving university. Completed her training 2 years ago and was in a desk job on secondment to MI6 for 18 months before coming to head Section D in the wake of the Albany matter. Fast tracked to the top but with no experience. I don't know how she became a section chief so quickly!" Gavrik retorted.

"Ruth Evershed? " Towers asked.

"She is currently lying in intensive care after being stabbed whilst on a field operation despite not officially being a member of MI5. She is currently your security advisor and whilst she may be one of the the most experienced former members of this department still living, she idolises Harry and Harry shows great affection for her. I do not think she could sit in Harry's chair and do his job. She would be in Harry's shadow, she would be asking Harry for advice every day to such an extent that you might as well reinstate him."

"Tom Quinn?"

"The former section chief of this department is currently running his own security firm. He was decommissioned by Harry 7 years ago. I do not think he would like to return on a permanent basis."

"Malcolm Wynn-Jones?"

"Certainly experienced, joined MI5 at the same time as Harry. However very much a 'desk spook' and has little recent experience in field work. I couldn't see him leading a counter terror department, he works in a niche field of technology."

Towers and Gavrik were standing now watching what was happening on the Grid.

"In my opinion, Harry Pearce has more experience than the rest of his current department put together. His loss would be felt throughout the British intelligence community. He is irreplaceable. In some ways he is overqualified his current post. I think he knows that, he turned down promotion to Director General of MI5 a few years ago. Harry Pearce is a person I want to work with. I don't want to deal with someone who finished their training a year or two ago. I want someone with confidence and experience. Asking for his resignation over something that we just agreed never happened would be unjustified and unhelpful" Gavrik finished.

"Well when put like that I suppose you are right, Minister." Towers began. "You seem to be able to read the situation like a book."

"I was a spy for thirty years, I've been a politician for ten. I think my abilities are justified by experience." Gavrik replied. "Now Home Secretary, I must get back to the embassy. Its been a long day. But I urge you again, do not fire Harry, do not pressure him into resigning. You need him and people like him now more than ever. Since the fall of the wall and the end of communism in my country, power has started to move east, to Russia, China and the Middle East. You need people experienced in dealing with those countries. And we need someone who understands us to liaise with us. However, if he chooses to go, let him go. Judging by the recent mortality rates in this department, Harry would be lucky to leave the service in one piece. Now I think I can find my way back to the front entrance, I'll call a car and stay at the embassy tonight. No doubt I will meet with you tomorrow after dealing with the Kremlin." With that Gavrik left the office and crossed the now empty Grid and disappeared through the pods, leaving Towers in the office pondering his thoughts.

_A/N: Please review. If possible follow and favourite – it means a lot (as well as having an attentive audience!). I think the next chapter will see Harry discussing the situation with his team as well as possibly seeing Ruth again (no guarantees). But plot ideas are welcome, by all means post them._


	7. Carte Blanche

**Aftermath; Chapter 7 – Carte Blanche**

_A/N: I'm terrible at updating this, I lost my muse for a while but it has returned so onwards with the story. In some ways this is a filler chapter, but it will dictate the rest of the story._

_Thanks goes to Sparky75, rosetintedblindspot, Antonia Caenis and r4ven3 for their reviews and Batteredpen for your review and advice:_

* * *

**The Grid, Thames House 2145hrs:**

"Well that's Gavrik leaving", remarked Calum looking past Erin's shoulder. Harry turned and watched.

"I expect I'm wanted back in there with the Home Secretary, but before I do, I just want to say one thing. It has been a pleasure working with you all for these recent weeks. But I'd like to remind you of one thing. Our adversaries today are not known to us. They are not nations, they fly no flag. The do not appear on a map. They are groups and individuals. They are both anonymous and invisible. And I think that now adaptability has become the most important weapon in our arsenal. Adapt, or die. We no longer see the same threats to national security as we did ten, five or even a year ago. We as a service will become irrelevant if we do not change, if we do not adapt. But, change does not mean starting out with a clean slate. It does not mean forgetting history. Those who forget history are doomed to repeat it." Harry finished. "Oh and one last thing, if I don't return. Good luck."

"What does he mean?" Erin wondered aloud as Harry strode back in the direction his office.

"I think he is saying that our jobs aren't what they were last year. And I think he knows we need to adapt to the change," remarked Dimitri thoughtfully.

"Right." Erin composed herself. "Calum get onto the hospital record's and check out that American nurse Harry saw on reception at the Royal London, when you've done that get onto GCHQ and trawl American intelligence cables for anything relating to tonight's events. Dimitri, analyse the reaction to the death of Elena Gavrik in Russia, check whether they think it's believable or not. Check the intelligence chatter, trawl nationalist activist forums, message boards, and blogs etc. - the works. While you two are doing that I'll start drafting our initial report."

"After the action the joy of paperwork", said Calum sardonically.

* * *

"Shut the door Harry."

"Home Secretary."

"Harry, Ilya and I discussed these latest events. He seems to think that you are the best man for the job. He raised a number of interesting points to back his assertion up. And frankly I agreed with all of them. He insisted upon your reinstatement. He's right, "Towers remarked as he glanced out over the Grid, "you are the most experienced we have left. I may be a politician, someone you may even think of sometimes as a 'pen-pusher'…"

"Home Secretary, you know I don't think of you like that."

"Nevertheless, I do know that experience in any field is helpful. That is why I am going to instruct the Albany committee to permanently reinstate you, in the interest of the nation. But I have two conditions."

"Yes, Home Secretary."

"Condition 1 is that I don't want you to make me regret my decision later on."

"And the second condition?"

"I want you to reorganise Section D, currently you are understaffed and the rest of your team is relatively new and or inexperienced."

"Are you saying I can within reason, reorganise this department to how it should best function? Do I have 'carte blanche' sir?"

"Yes Harry, you do." Towers stood to leave. "Don't disappoint me. Gavrik will no doubt be in contact tomorrow. He's a good man, our Russian friend. Our ally as we start this new partnership with a former foe. I must be off Harry. Update me on Ruth's condition tomorrow if you can." The two men shook hands and the Home Secretary departed. Harry sat back down in his chair, weary of the day's events. He looked across the Grid, his eyes froze momentarily upon each of the three empty central desks. He was missing at least 3 staff; senior case officer, an intelligence analyst and at least one technical officer. He thought to himself, who could occupy those desks. Then he smiled, he had candidates for two of the desks that was if they were willing to return. As for the third position he was going to take a chance with the service's HR department. HR had managed to source him reasonable officers in the past.

He then turned her mind to Ruth, no she couldn't come back. The Home Office was best for both her and for Harry, if he wanted any relationship with her. But how was she? He still felt slightly guilty involving her on an operation despite having left the service. Had she woken up yet? But before that he'd have to finalise things with his team.

* * *

"What do you think he is thinking?" Calum asked Dimitri as they watched Towers leave the Grid.

"Well I don't think we'll see him cleaning out his desk any time soon, but other than that, I don't know."

Erin tried to bring the team's attention back to work but was interrupted by Harry walking across the Grid.

"Erin, Dimitri, Calum, go home. You've done a great job tonight. I'll see you all in the morning. The paperwork can wait, and if anything has been said in the US or Russia about tonight's events, you would have already come across it. Oh, and Erin a word if you please."

The two men started to pack up and made their way to leave while Erin went into Harry's office.

* * *

"I thought it would be only right if I let you know of my future plans for this department. I intend to strip you of the role of senior case officer, but I am going to retain you as section chief. This department isn't functioning to its full capacity, I hope to bring back two old friends to the Grid. As a courtesy, I'm informing it with you."

"But Harry…"

"Erin, I've been fully reinstated by the Home Secretary. One of the conditions of that reinstatement is a thorough shake up on the Grid. You aren't being demoted. If anything the reorganisation will give you more time at home with Rosie…"

"Don't bring her into this."

"Erin, you are a single parent with a flourishing career, you have a young daughter who sees you maybe for an hour in total every day. For God's sake spend more time with her. In Berlin, in the late eighties, I was married, I had two children and then my wife filed for divorce. I didn't spend enough time with her and it led to the breakdown of our marriage and I regret that. Consequentially I was never a major presence in my children's lives and even today they still resent me for it. 'Those who forget history are doomed to repeat it.' Promise me, don't become a workaholic like I did and forget who is around you and who forgets who loves them most, all in the name of career advancement. If it is any encouragement, your pay doesn't change."

"Understood."

"Now go home!"

As Erin left she closed the door behind her and went to get her coat and bag. Dimitri and Calum were long gone. She took one last look at her computer screen and switched it off. Then she turned back towards Harry. He was deep in thought, staring blankly at the glass wall of his office. She let him be and strode disappeared through the pods.

Harry watched her go. The Grid was empty now, silent but for the hum of the computer mainframe. After a while the lights across the Grid dimmed. 'All to save a few hundred pounds on the energy bill.' Harry thought. His mind went back to his thoughts immediately after the Home Secretary left. How was Ruth? Should he check for an update? His hand reached across the desk towards the phone but it started ringing. He picked it up and answered.

"Harry Pearce."

* * *

_A/N: Well, I could conceivably end this story here. But I won't. There is more to come. Personally I don't think this chapter is as good as the previous six (it's a matter of opinion). Imaginary prize to the person who correctly guesses the two 'old friends' Harry brings back. Thanks for reading and please review and follow. _


	8. Erin

**Aftermath; Chapter 8 – Erin**

_A/N: This chapter kind of took on a life of its own. I hope I've done it justice. Thanks goes to Batteredpen, NatesDate, r4ven3 and rosetintedblindspot for their reviews and continued support._

* * *

**The Grid, Thames House 2157hrs**

"_Harry Pearce."_

"Sir, this is the Duty Manager at the Royal London Hospital. You wanted us to update you on the condition of Mr Gavrik and Miss Evershed."

"Yes, well?"

"Mr Gavrik can be discharged tomorrow."

"And Miss Everdshed?"

"She regained consciousness a few minutes ago. However she is still very groggy, yet insists on speaking to you."

"Yes and will you?"

"I'm sorry sir, not tonight, she isn't well enough to receive visitors right now. You can come by in the morning sir."

"Very well, I'll be there."

Harry rang off and then also started to leave for home.

* * *

**Basset Road, W10 2231hrs**

Erin sat in her car and looked up at her home and thought about how far she had come in life. Her two minute conversation with Harry had really opened her eyes as to what she was doing with her life and how it had affected others.

She lived in a relatively affluent part of London, North Kensington was a very comfortable area of the city. Quiet, leafy avenues, about half an hour from the Thames. She lived in the family home with Rosie and her mother.

Her father was wealthy investment banker who died on a business trip. The 747 he was flying in, exploded over the Atlantic. She was 16. Her Mum was all she had left. Her Dad had left enough money for them to live quite comfortably for the foreseeable future. She had excelled in her GCSEs and then later in her A-Levels. She took a gap year and travelled through Europe and Asia. Later she studied and gained her 2 degrees from Imperial College. During her penultimate year there, she had Rosie. Her daughter's father was a foreign student who took off once he realised what had happened.

During the next two year, she juggled her time between caring for her new baby and her final year at Imperial. In her final year she started making plans for life after university. MI5 seemed to offer the best options; solid job, near to home and many career options. She was also helping the country she loved. She applied and was successful.

Excelling during the training stage, she was put through a fast track scheme with the aim of a senior position within 3-5 years. At the end of training she was seconded across the river to Vauxhall Cross, it was a desk job as an intelligence analyst. At the beginning the hours were quite reasonable, but the job began to push her to her limits, she began to see Rosie less than she would have liked to. The worst fact was that she had not realised at the time because she was thoroughly enjoying her job.

Her secondment ended after 18 months and she came back to Thames House. Another desk job in intelligence analysis, but this time more of a senior position. She was so good that she was moved again, to Section D. She was Senior Case Officer, Section Chief and Head of Counter Terrorism Department. The later was only a temporary position until the Albany matter was decided. In the mean time she exercised some of her new powers, decommissioning Beth Bailey and bringing in a former colleague from Six; Calum Reed. The three weeks before Harry returned were quiet, it was if every intelligence officer in London was waiting for the verdict on Albany.

Then he returned, on probation. She was retained as Section Chief and Senior Case Officer and the service legend that was Sir Harry Pearce was reinstated in his office. Sparks started to fly over the trip to the UK by the Gavrik's. That was her first field operation. Within two days she had shot an assassin, and then go home to her daughter and pretend she had had a busy day "at the office". Then Tariq was murdered.

It was the first time a colleague of hers had been killed whilst she was serving with them. It had a profound effect on her. A week later Rosie was kidnapped, with an assurance that if a terrorist attack in Trafalgar Square didn't occur, her daughter would die. The "terrorist" was one of her assets she'd run as a senior intelligence analyst, in a suicide vest. Fortunately, armed police took down her asset and Dimitri rescued Rosie.

Now she thought about it, she owed a lot to Dimitri, he was of the members of Section D who had survived the longest. He had actively supported her when she came on the Grid. He'd saved Rosie. And they had an excellent working relationship. He was the one person who she trusted the most at work.

Then her thoughts turned to the day's events. Harry was sprung from CIA custody. Elena Gavrik was exposed as a traitor and then killed. Sasha Gavrik attempted to avenge her death on Harry, but accidentally stabbed Ruth when she tried to diffuse the crisis. He was then downed by Dimitri. In the process they successfully stopped an aircraft being shot down over East Anglia. But it had left Ruth in a serious condition in hospital and Harry was very nearly fired. The Home Secretary then seemed to acquiesce to the situation and reinstated him permanently, as well as authorising a department restructure at Harry's discretion.

So where did that leave her? She would lose the role of Senior Case Officer, when a replacement was recruited. It also sounded like Harry was bringing back two 'old friends'. It would be helpful, she hadn't appealed for more manpower when she was in Harry's chair as she was still finding her feet. And Harry was right, she was spending less time with Rosie than she really should. The lower workload would give her more time at home and there would be less paperwork to file. If she was interested in the financial aspect of it, her pay didn't change. It was probably for the best after Harry told her what happened to him in Berlin.

Erin was getting cold now. She shivered a little. She got out of the car and went indoors into the warm. Maybe she Rosie was still up.

* * *

**Lo Barnechea, Santiago, Chile 1935hrs (local time)**

"…_You are watching CNN International, we go live to London for an update on tonight's events…"_

"…_Thank you Andrew…I can confirm that Elena Gavrik, wife of Russian Interior Minister Ilya Gavrik, has been pronounced dead after the diplomatic car she was in crashed at around five o'clock in West London. In addition the Home Office here has confirmed that Minister Gavrik's son, Sasha was injured along with an aide to the Home Secretary, Ruth Evershed."_

"Oh my God!" exclaimed the woman on the sofa in front of the television.

Suddenly the phone began to ring on the kitchen counter. The woman answered it.

"Zoe Reynolds?" It was a man's voice which was somewhat familiar to the woman on the other end of the line.

"Nobody has called me that in a long time, Harry."

* * *

_A/N: So Zoe's back. Please review and follow as always. Thanks for reading. Next chapter will be up as soon as I can write it. I think this has come to a point where we step out of an established Spooks timeline._


	9. Santiago

**Aftermath; Chapter 9 – Santiago**

_A/N: So Zoe returned in the last chapter and we are now leaving the Spooks timeline. I'm not sure whether this chapter is up to scratch when compared to the previous eight – it's a step into the unknown. (I've updated the formatting of chapters 7 and 8. Sorry if you've received any extra emails!)_

_Thanks to r4ven3, Batteredpen, rosetintedblindspot and Antonia Caenis for reviewing Chapter 8._

* * *

_Previously:_

**Lo Barnechea, Santiago, Chile 1935hrs (local time)**

"…_You are watching CNN International, we go live to London for an update on tonight's events…"_

"…_Thank you Andrew…I can confirm that Elena Gavrik, wife of Russian Interior Minister Ilya Gavrik, has been pronounced dead after the diplomatic car she was in crashed at around five o'clock in West London. In addition the Home Office here has confirmed that Minister Gavrik's son, Sasha was injured along with an aide to the Home Secretary, Ruth Evershed."_

"Oh my God!" exclaimed the woman on the sofa in front of the television.

Suddenly the phone began to ring on the kitchen counter. The woman answered it.

"Zoe Reynolds?" It was a man's voice which was somewhat familiar to the woman on the other end of the line.

"Nobody has called me that in a long time, Harry."

* * *

"_I know Zoe. How are you?"_

"Doing the best that I can as 'Gina Hamilton'. I've got used to Santiago now I've been here so long. I've been living a normal life for nearly ten years now Harry. I even managed to get a job, at the British Embassy here as a part time interpreter."

"_How is Will?"_

"Eventually it didn't work out. We married, then our relationship broke down and I filed for divorce. He moved to America six years ago. Just a second…" A small girl had bounded in to the kitchen.

"Yes Danielle, what is it?"

"Mum can you read to me?" She asked enthusiastically.

"In a minute darling, I'm on the phone to an old friend, in London." Zoe added.

"Oh. OK, but in a bit then." She said hopefully. The girl didn't wait for a reply, instead she wandered out of the room.

* * *

**Kingston-upon-Thames, Surrey 2241hrs**

Harry, in his home office, smiled slightly as he listened to the conversation between a mother and (presumably), her daughter.

"Danielle?"

"_Sorry, she's my daughter. She's nearly eight."_

"Her English is very good."

"_That's because I sent her to the 'British International School" here in Santiago. The curriculum is very similar to the one back in the UK. It's a little bit of home. Danielle is fluent in both English and Spanish now."_

Harry smiled even more. "How much does she know about your life in London?"

"_I've told her that I worked there for a long time, and that we should go back some day." _Something clicked in Zoe's mind after she said that. The report on CNN came back to her. _'Ruth…injured…London…'_

"_Harry, why exactly are you calling me?" _

"No doubt you will have heard what happened here this evening. Ruth ended up in hospital."

"_I know, I do have cable news Harry. It was on CNN just before you rang. Something about a car crash?"_

"Listen carefully. I want you to come back to London. Bring Danielle with you…"

"_Harry, when I left, I thought you closed my file. I thought we agreed I wouldn't come back?"_

"I never decommissioned you. Besides, you've been away for nearly ten years."

"_Harry are you saying what I think you are saying, do you want me back at Thames House? I hope you've remembered that I'm technically in behind bars at Holloway."_

"'Technically' being the keyword. If you come back we can call it 'early release', the public have forgotten all about 'Officer X', it's been nearly a decade."

"_I can't just drop everything and come home Harry. I've got a life, friends, even a small family here in Santiago. I didn't have that in London, not outside the Grid."_

"Listen Zoe, all I'm asking is for you to come back to London for a while. I'm not ordering you back to the Grid. Just come and see if you want to return permanently."

* * *

**Lo Barnechea, Santiago, Chile 1942hrs (local time)**

"So what are you suggesting? A holiday?"

"_In a way yes. As I said, bring Danielle. She'll enjoy London. And you just told me, you always tell her you want to go back someday. Why not now?"_

Zoe frowned slightly, considering the situation. On the one hand, she had all she wanted in Chile. A normal life. But on the other, she had her old boss asking her to come back to a place she loved. Essentially it was a thinly disguised job offer, without mention of the job. "When do you want me to come back?"

"_Preferably as soon as you can?"_

"Well, Danielle's school has a long winter break that starts next week. In that time between now and then I can make holiday arrangements and get Danielle a passport. I think we can manage to get into Heathrow within the next ten days."

"_So you're coming?"_

"I suppose." Zoe sighed.

"_If you want, I can send someone out to help?"_

"Who would you have in mind?"

"_He's good with children. Oh and ex-SBS. I can put him on a plane in the next few days."_

"I don't need a bodyguard Harry. I can look after myself and Danielle. But if you must, besides it will be nice to talk to someone from home on the flight. I guess a lot has changed in the past nine and a half years."

"_Good, I'll talk to him in the morning. His name is Dimitri, by the way."_

"If I'm coming back, I want a favour Harry, for Danielle."

"_Name it."_

"I want a British passport and full citizenship for her."

"_We can arrange that."_

"One small thing Harry, who do I come back as? Gina or Zoe?"

"_I think its best you come back as 'Gina' on your Chilean passport, but in England you can refer to yourself as Zoe. We could always add 'Gina' as a middle name to your British passport. But here it is getting late, I've had a long day, which I can tell you about on your return. I'll call you again tomorrow morning. We'll talk more then, and I can 'introduce' you to Dimitri."_

"Yeah, I understand. So I guess I'll say goodnight then."

"_Goodnight." _The line went dead.

"Mummy can you read to me now?" Danielle had reappeared in the kitchen.

"Of course darling. Have you picked a book?"

* * *

_A/N: Well I hope you're enjoying it so far. Maybe I should have mentioned Danny, but we'll get there soon enough. As always, thanks for reading and please review and follow._


	10. Intention

**Aftermath; Chapter 10 – Intention**

_A/N: Well here we are, 10 chapters, 12,300 words and (at the time of typing) 53 reviews later. I'm amazed at the amount of support I have received for my writing so far. So Chapter 10, let's begin shall we? Ruth is back:_

_(Thanks goes to Batteredpen, r4ven3, NavyLady, rosetintedblindspot, Sparky75, Antonia Caenis and a guest for reviewing the last chapter.)_

* * *

**Royal London Hospital, Whitechapel 0756hrs**

"Harry?" Ruth croaked groggily from her hospital bed.

"It's alright, I'm here Ruth."

"What happened?" She croaked again.

Harry recounted what had happened to Ruth, she didn't recall the events between being stabbed and regaining consciousness the night before. He also told her of his conversation with Towers. By this point, Ruth had become more coherent and was gradually engaging in conversation.

"So Harry, what has become of us? You told me, no, agreed with me, just before all this, that we'd quit, we'd put MI5 behind us and go to Sussex."

"It was idealistic and optimistic Ruth, surely you can see that. The world has changed dramatically, but we were almost blind to it. We've opened our eyes and now our expertise is needed now more than ever, you at the Home Office and me in the service. We can still have a life together though, we'd just be working as well."

"I guess, however hard it is for me to admit it, that I suppose it is possible for that to work," she said with a small smile. "Out of interest who are you planning to replace me with on the Grid?"

"Ah, you've reminded me."

"Well?"

"Zoe Reynolds is returning in about ten days' time."

"You are kidding! Is that 'returning' as in coming back to MI5?"

"Nothing is set in stone just yet. I'm going to get Dimitri to bring them back over at the weekend. I've told Zoe to treat it as a holiday. I'm going to finalise things with her today. "

"Them?"

"Zoe's got a daughter. She, as Zoe proudly told me last night, is 'nearly seven'. Apparently she ended up divorcing Will North – the journalist she was seeing a few years ago. "

"Are you forgetting that technically she's serving a ten year sentence at Holloway Prison?"

"Ruth, just as we can make people disappear, we can make them reappear once again. You've done it before, remember."

"Well I was meant to be dead. But then if you can resurrect somebody, I'm sure you can spring them from prison." Ruth said with a smile.

"The Grid is understaffed as it is, and has been for some time. If I can convince Zoe to stay, I'll still need at least two more officers."

"Did you have anyone else in mind?"

"I'm going to ask Malcolm for a small favour. But I'll have to source the other through the HR department."

"Well it sounds like you've got it sorted. But is there anything I can do to help?"

Harry stood up from the chair he was sat in and put on his leather gloves. "Ruth, rest. That's what you can do to help me." He smiled. "Oh and I have a feeling Towers will be in touch soon. I promised to update him on your condition. I'm sure that once he hears you are talking, he'll either visit or call himself." Harry grimaced.

"Harry, I think I can manage one concerned politician!" She said with a small giggle.

"Well, I must be off." Harry grasped her hand for a moment and then left the room.

* * *

**The Grid, Thames House 0830hrs**

Harry came through the pods to find the Grid nearly devoid of senior staff. Only Calum and Dimitri were at their desks. They had noticed that their usually punctual Section Chief was nowhere to be seen. They had also noticed Harry's private conversation the night before. Thinking that Harry may have something to do with Erin's absence. Dimitri accosted Harry before he even reached his office.

"Harry, where is Erin?"

"Not right here and now Dimitri." He replied. "Meet me in my office in a few minutes, bring Calum, he has a right to know what I will tell you as much as you do."

Harry strode through into his office, hung up his coat. Put his gloves in the left pocket and sat down at his desk. Two daily intelligence reports lay on his desk. One covered intelligence from abroad and the other covered intelligence gathered within the UK. Harry glanced at the top sheet summaries of each. There was nothing pressing that required his immediate attention.

Dimitri and Calum entered his office. "Yes, come in. It is customary to knock…" Harry remarked without looking up from a third memo he was reading. "Close the door."

"Harry, where is Erin, she's always here before any of us." Dimitri said.

"Which is precisely why Erin is currently at home. I rang her this morning from my home before going into the hospital and told her to come in a bit later than normal. This leads me nicely to our topic of discussion. The Home Secretary has agreed that I be reinstated permanently. He has also noted how this department is overworked and understaffed. He has asked me to reorganise Section D."

"Harry, what do you mean? What has it got to do with Erin not being here?" Calum asked.

"I don't want Erin in particular to be overworked and have no time at home – it's important she spends time with her family as well as at work. This is why she's coming in later today and why I am planning to have someone else undertake her duties as a senior case officer. To solve some of our staffing shortages I'm going to try to bring back two old friends who used to work here. Their expertise is needed now more than ever. I'm also going to be putting a request to HR to find another officer."

"Who are the old officers? Would we know them?" Dimitri asked.

"I doubt it, both served a bit before your time."

"So who are they?" Calum repeated.

"I'm planning on asking Malcom Wynn-Jones to take on Tariq's old desk. Incidentally, Tariq was Malcolm's successor." Harry replied. "You'll like him," he added, "it should be easy to convince him to come out retirement."

"Who's the other officer?" asked Dimitri.

"Do either of you remember 'Officer X'?"

The two younger officers shook their heads.

"As I said, a bit before your time." Harry remarked. _"Also proves I was right saying that the public have forgotten about her_," he thought. "Well let me enlighten you." So Harry told his two young colleagues about the events surrounding the 'Officer X' trial, her unfair sentence and of her 'banishment' to Chile while a stand in did the time.

"Harry, what's this got to do with the Grid?" said Calum.

"It has everything to do with the Grid. 'Officer X' was a trusted colleague here. She didn't deserve the sentence given to her at the Old Bailey."

"And the point of this is?" enquired a very bored looking Dimitri who was wondering why Harry was reminiscing about a disgraced officer.

"The point is Dimitri that you are bringing her and her young daughter back to this country at the weekend. In the meantime I will talk to the Home Secretary about early release for the stand in at Holloway Prison."

"Erin will blow her top if she hears about it." Dimitri said, still wary of the decommissioning of Beth Bailey in disgrace which had ended in a shouting match across the Grid.

"Dimitri, if you haven't noticed, conveniently Erin isn't here. And when she comes in, you will kindly not mention this conversation." Harry responded curtly.

"You still haven't told us who 'Officer X' is," said Calum, "what's her name?"

"For now Calum let's just call her 'Gina'. Now that's all I have to tell you now." Harry dismissed them. But before Dimitri left he told him to wait. "I plan to call 'Gina' later today, I want you in on that call. I'll get you when I need you."

"How was Ruth when you saw her?" the younger man asked, concerned for his older colleague.

"She is fine, stable, starting to make conversation. The doctors say she'll be in hospital for at least 3 or 4 weeks. Thank you for asking." Harry smiled slightly at his junior colleague's thoughtfulness. "Now go, and not a word to Erin when she gets back on the Grid."

"Understood Harry."

Dimitri smiled slightly as he crossed the Grid, the old Harry Pearce was now sat back in his office. The officer who sat behind that desk when he first joined Section D. Cool, calm and collected as well as slightly sarcastic.

* * *

A while later the pods opened and Erin crossed the Grid looking more radiant than Dimitri had seen her for a long time. She seemed more relaxed than normal. Obviously Harry's conversation with her the night before seemed to have generated results already.

"Dimitri, Calum, what have I missed so far?" Erin called as she briskly walked over.

"Ah, well-, "Calum began, but Dimitri shot him a cold look. The meaning was obvious _"Shut up! Don't you dare say another word." _Calum abruptly fell silent, but Erin didn't notice.

"Nothing much Erin, just some of the paperwork from last night," Dimitri began, "we've got most of it done. You just need to draft the final report for Harry to sign off on."

"OK, let's finish this thing," she said brightly and sat down at her desk.

* * *

In his office, Harry stood and looked across at his team beginning the day's work. He thought of the two other people he hoped would join their number in the near future. He had a call to make, to a very, very old friend.

* * *

_A/N: So I intend for Malcolm to return in the next chapter. It's been a bit of a longer chapter than normal. I hope you have enjoyed reading it. I'm not sure whether I'm rushing things a bit (feel free to comment on the pace of this story when you review). Chapter 11 will come as soon as I can type it! As always please review and follow._


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